How to Use the Planned Budget Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories  >  Planned Budget + Goals  >  How to Use the Planned Budget Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Use the Planned Budget Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

The Planned Budget sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives is where you outline what you expect to earn and spend each month—before it happens. It’s your space to map out your financial intentions, which the planner then compares with your actual income and expenses to help you stay on track.

💡 This is different from your goals, which are more about what you're striving toward over time. If you're looking to set and track personal or professional goals, check out the Goals guide.

✅ What's Included:

The Planned Budget sheet is organized into four sections to match how your income and expenses are categorized throughout the planner:

• Planned Taxable Income

• Planned Business Expenses

• Planned Non-Taxable Income

• Planned Personal Expenses

Each section is grouped by category, with columns for each month and totals along the side and bottom.

✍️ How to Fill It Out:

1. Locate the correct section based on the type of transaction (income vs. expense, business vs. personal).

2. Enter your expected monthly amount for each category. For example:

   • If you expect to earn $2,000 from business income in March, enter 2000 in the Business Income row under March.

   • If you expect to spend $150 on Software subscriptions monthly, add 150 in the Software row for each month.

3. Totals will automatically calculate by category, month, and total for the year, giving you an at-a-glance look at your planned cash flow.

🔄 What It Connects To:

• These planned numbers appear throughout the Summary sections so you can compare Planned vs. Actual income and expenses month by month and year as a whole.

• They help identify areas where you're overspending or under-earning compared to your expectations.

How to Use the Goals Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories  >  Planned Budget + Goals  >  How to Use the Goals Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Use the Goals Sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives

The Goals sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives helps you reflect on your personal and financial aspirations—whether it’s saving for a new laptop, focusing on your health, spending more time with family, paying off debt, or hitting a revenue milestone. Unlike the Planned Budget, which tracks what you expect to happen, this space is for what you’re working toward.

💡 Use this section to clarify your direction, stay focused, and track progress toward the financial life you want to build. If you want to dive into your expected income and expenses, check out the Planned Budget guide.

✅ Current Goals

The Current Goals section helps you monitor your financial progress each quarter with detailed breakdowns and visual insights—perfect for staying focused and motivated.

This is where you’ll set short-term, measurable goals for:

• Income

• Business Expenses

• Personal Expenses

Once you enter your target amounts for each quarter, the sheet will automatically calculate:

• Actual totals (based on your itemized logs)

• Differences in dollars and percentages

• Net profit per quarter and year

• Year-to-date goal vs. actual comparisons

You’ll also find:

📊 Quarterly Category Breakdown Charts
Donut charts show how your income and expenses are distributed—helping you compare your money coming in and going out.

📈 Insights & Progress Tracking
Includes highlights like:

• Whether you hit your net earning goals

• How much you’ve surpassed or fallen short of your targets

• Bar charts comparing goal vs. actual for each metric and quarter

🎯 Annual Overview
At the end of the section, you’ll see annual totals that compare your year-long goals to what actually happened—making it easy to reflect and course-correct.

💡 Think of this as your financial dashboard—see what’s working, what’s not, and where to adjust.

🌟 Top Goals

This is where you can zoom out and focus on your big-picture vision—financially and beyond.

• This space is structured around four future timeframes:

  • 1 Year

  • 3 Years

  • 5 Years

  • 10 Years

  For each timeframe, you’ll find prompts to help you define:

  • 💰 Income Goal – What do you want to be earning by then? E.g., "Earn $150,000 annual income"

  • 🏡 Personal Goal – What personal milestone(s) do you want to reach? E.g., "Buy a home"

  • 🌿 Lifestyle Goal – What do you want your life to feel like? Think balance, freedom, wellness, relationships, etc. E.g., "Semi-retire or take 6 month sabbatical"

All fields are fully customizable, so feel free to rename the goal types, change the timeframes, or add extra context that’s meaningful to you.
(Note: you may get a warning when modifying goal types, etc., and it’s okay to ignore these specific warnings. See more on popup warnings here.)

Each goal has space for:

• A goal description or specific target

• Notes or action steps to help you move toward that goal (E.g., "Full-time freelancing", "Save for down payment", "Build passive income streams")

💡 This section isn’t tied to any calculations—it’s purely for reflection and direction. Use it to reconnect with what matters most, outside of spreadsheets and dollar signs.

🧠 Goal Prompts

Not sure where to start? The Goal Prompts section is here to help.

• Browse through customizable prompts designed to get you thinking.

• Add your own responses and tailor the prompts to your goals.

• Use the action step columns to outline what you’ll need to do to get there.

(Note: you may get a warning when modifying goal types, etc., and it’s okay to ignore these specific warnings. See more on popup warnings here.)

✍️ This is a thoughtful space—don’t stress about filling everything out at once! Use it when you need inspiration or clarity.

How to Track Income and Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Tracking Income + Expenses > How to Track Income and Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Track Income and Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Once your categories and dropdowns are set up, you’re ready to start logging your transactions!

One of the most powerful features of the Finance Planner for Creatives is its ability to track all your financial activity in one place — both what you’re earning and where it’s going.

Here’s a quick overview of how it works:

💰 Income Tracking

Your income is tracked across two sheets:

• Taxable Income – for freelance work, client payments, or anything you’ll pay taxes on.

• Non-Taxable Income – for gifts, reimbursements, or other non-taxable income streams.

👉 View the full guide: How to Log Income

💸 Expense Tracking

Your expenses are tracked across two sheets as well:

• Business Expenses – for anything work-related, you can write off or need to track separately.

• Personal Expenses – for your everyday spending, bills, and lifestyle costs.

👉 View the full guide: How to Log Expenses

✏️ Customize Your Categories

Each sheet comes with editable dropdowns for:

• Categories & Subcategories

• Retailers

• Payment Methods

You can easily tailor these to reflect your real-life income streams and spending habits.

👉 Learn how to edit dropdowns

🔁 Reuse Past Info Quickly

Use copy-paste or fill-down for repeated entries (like recurring income or expenses). Dropdown options help make data entry fast and consistent, too.

🔄 Automatically Updates Your Insights

As you add your income and expenses:

• Your yearly calendar views update automatically and calculate totals

• Your monthly and yearly summaries update automatically as well

• Your charts, insights, tax estimates, profit and loss report, and yearly goals will update too

• You get a clear picture of your finances without extra math

This overview helps you get oriented — now, choose what you'd like to dive into next!

How to Log Income →

How to Log Expenses →

How to Customize Dropdowns →

What’s the Difference Between Personal & Business Finances?

All Categories  >  Tracking Income + Expenses  >  What’s the Difference Between Personal & Business Finances?

What’s the Difference Between Personal & Business Finances?

Keeping your personal and business finances separate isn’t just about staying organized — it’s essential for accurate reporting, smart decision-making, and stress-free tax prep.

Fortunately, the Finance Planner for Creatives is designed so you can track both business and personal finances separately while also gaining insights into each individually and together.

Here’s how to understand the difference and why it matters in your Finance Planner for Creatives:

🧍 Personal Finances

These include anything related to your life outside of work:

• Rent or mortgage (though if you have a designated office space in your home, a percentage can be applied to business expenses)

• Groceries

• Subscriptions like Netflix or Spotify

• Personal travel or meals

• Gym memberships, clothing, hobbies, etc.

• Cash Gifts received

• Tax refunds

• Credit card rewards

These are not tax-deductible and should be logged under your Personal Expenses and Non-Taxable Income sheets.

💼 Business Finances

These are expenses or income related to your freelance work or creative business, like:

• Software or tools you use for client work (e.g., Adobe, Canva, Revit)

• Marketing and website costs

• Contractor payments

• Client project supplies

• Payments received from clients

These go on the Business Expenses and Taxable Income sheets, and are the entries that will feed your profit/loss reports and tax estimates.

⚠️ Not sure what qualifies as a business expense?
Always consult a tax professional. Rules vary by location and business structure, and it’s important to deduct only what’s truly eligible.

💡 Why This Matters

• Tax Prep: Your Finance Planner for Creatives uses this info to help you estimate quarterly taxes, create profit/loss reports, and prepare year-end summaries.

• Deductions: Only business expenses can reduce your taxable income.

• Clarity: Keeping things separate gives you a clearer picture of your business health and personal spending habits.

How to Customize Dropdown Menu Options in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Tracking Income + Expenses > How to Customize Dropdown Menu Options in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Customize Your Dropdown Menu Options in the Finance Planner for Creatives

To make this Finance Planner for Creatives work for you, you can easily tailor the dropdown options for things like expense categories, income sources, payment methods, and more.

Sections:

1. Where to Edit Dropdowns

2. Add New Options

3. Keeping New Options Grouped

4. Remove Options

5. Apply Colors to Dropdowns

6. Important Notes

7. Update Multiple Dropdown Selections in the Log (All at Once)

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Where to Edit dropdowns:

On all of the Income and Expense sheets, scroll to cell A50 to find the editable dropdown lists for:

• Categories

• Subcategories

• Retailers

• Payment Methods

Changes will need to be made on each sheet (feel free to copy and paste from sheet to sheet where it makes sense, such as payment methods).

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➕ To Add New Options:

1. Go to cell A50 and below on one of the Income or Expense sheets

2. Type your new option under the appropriate list

3. It will automatically appear in the dropdown menus for new entries on that sheet

4. Optional: Assign a color to your dropdown options.

   • Existing subcategory colors are grouped by category for visual clarity.

5. For new Subcategories, be sure to enter a matching Category so the formulas work correctly.

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📚 Keeping Subcategories Grouped (Without Breaking Formatting)

When adding a new Subcategory under an existing Category, it’s best to insert it in line with the rest of that group to keep the dropdowns and reports organized. Doing this manually without disrupting formatting and protecting existing options can be tricky — but here’s a quick trick to make it seamless.

To properly add and group a new subcategory to an existing category:

1. Find the last row in the Category list that belongs to the subcategory you’re adding

2. Select both cells in that row (Category + Subcategory) and drag to downward through the rest of the Category/Subcategory list (so you copy the rest of the options)

3. Press Ctrl+C (or Command+C) to copy

4. Click the left cell in the second highlighted row — this is where your new subcategory will go

5. Press Ctrl+V (or Command+V) to paste — this overwrites the rows below, creating a duplicate of the entry above where you can add your new subcategory without having to retype the category (this helps with avoiding spelling mistakes and duplicate categories)

6. Edit the Subcategory name in the new duplicate row — the Category name should remain the same

This ensures your new subcategory stays visually and functionally grouped with the rest of its category — and keeps your reports and dropdowns intact.

Note: For dropdowns with single columns (e.g., Payment Methods or Retailers dropdowns), you can press CTRL+X (or Command+X) to cut and CTRL+V (or Command+V) to paste instead to create a blank row if needed.

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🎨 How to Add Colors to Dropdown Options

Adding colors to your dropdown options makes it easier to scan and understand your data at a glance — especially in long tables! Here's how to set it up:

To add or change a dropdown color:

1. Click on a cell that contains the dropdown you want to customize

2. Click the small down arrow on the right side of the cell

3. In the menu that appears, select “Dropdown” → “Edit dropdown” (or choose “Dropdown” from the top menu if it’s not already enabled)

4. You’ll see the list of dropdown options — next to each option is a small color dot

5. Click the color dot to change the color

6. Choose from the palette or click the + to create a custom color

7. Click “Done” to apply your changes

All cells using that dropdown will automatically update with the new colors. ✨

Note: In your planner, Subcategory colors are grouped by Category, so you may want to use consistent colors for all subcategories under a single category for visual clarity.

➕ Adding New Colored Options

When you modify existing options or add new options to the dropdown list (in the editable Dropdown Options section):

• The option will appear with no color by default

• To add color: use the steps above by selecting a cell that includes the new dropdown and assigning it a color

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➖ To Remove an Option:

1. Simply delete the name from the dropdown list

2. Any past entries that used the removed option will be flagged with an error

3. Update those entries by selecting a new option from the dropdown - see more on this below

4. Optional: To remove blank rows, you can fill the empty space by copying the filled rows below the blank row(s) and pasting them directly into the blank spot (using the method described above). Then, delete any duplicated rows that remain at the bottom to clean up your list.

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⚠️ Important Notes:

• Editing an existing name won’t update past entries in your itemized list — it will just create a new option

• If you overwrite a name that’s already in use, existing entries will show a flag or error, and you’ll need to manually update them - follow the steps on this page

🔁 How to Update Multiple Dropdown Selection in the Log (All at Once)

If you’ve deleted or renamed a dropdown option (like a subcategory) and the old entries are now showing a flag or error:

1. Go to the relevant sheet (e.g. Income, Expense, etc.).

2. Click the down arrow in the column header (e.g. Subcategory).

3. Select Filter Column and filter the column to show only the outdated or incorrect name.

4. Update the topmost cell with the new, correct dropdown name.

5. Select the updated cell and find the drag handle (dot) in the lower-right corner of that cell.

6. Click and drag the updated cell down the column to replace all outdated entries you want to change.

✨ This method lets you quickly fix all flagged or outdated dropdown entries in just a few steps — no manual editing required!

How to Log Income in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Tracking Income + Expenses > How to Log Income in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Log Income in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Whether you're tracking freelance payments, day job wages, or other earnings, the income sheets in your Finance Planner for Creatives make it easy to keep it all organized and visualized.

Each entry you add powers your summaries, charts, and tax tools, etc. — so the more accurate your inputs, the more helpful your insights!

Sections

• Required Fields

• Optional Fields

• Easily Duplicate Entries in the Income Log

• Things to Keep in Mind

✅ Required Fields

These are the must-fill items for each income entry for calculations and charts:

• Subcategory
  Choose the specific income type (e.g., Client Payment, Etsy Sales, Grants).

  💡 Tip: The matching Category will auto-fill based on your dropdown setup.

• Price
  Enter the income amount received (before any taxes or deductions).

• Date
  Use the actual date the income was received or deposited — this is used to generate your calendar views and summaries.

✨ Optional Fields

These fields help you add more context or track details you might want to reference later:

• Item (short description)
  A quick label like “Logo Design for Alex” or “November Etsy Sales.”

• Payment Method
  Select how you were paid—for example, Venmo, Bank Transfer, or Check.

• Notes / Description
  Use this space for longer details or notes—like payment details, client notes, etc.

🔁 How to Easily Duplicate Entries in the Income Log

Have recurring income from the same client, project, or platform? Instead of re-entering all the details every time, here’s how to quickly duplicate a past entry:

1. Filter by Subcategory or Other Relevant Metric (Optional):
   Use the dropdown filters to narrow your view to a specific income subcategory—like “Freelance Earnings” or “Digital Products”—so you can quickly find the entry you want to copy. See more here on filtering tables  →

2. Find the Entry You Want to Duplicate:
   Scroll to the row that has the details you want to reuse (item, subcategory, description, amount, etc.).

3. Copy and Paste to a New Row:

   • Select the bordered cells in the row you want to copy (avoid the shaded cells)

   • Use Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac) to copy.

   • Scroll to the next empty row at the bottom of the log.

   • Select the first cell of that row in the table and paste with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.

   • Repeat these steps for the cells on the other side of the shaded column.

4. Update the Details:
   Don’t forget to update the date, description, amount, or any other fields that might change. (This is especially helpful for monthly retainers or repeat product sales.)

✨ Pro Tip: If you see a yellow row (or two), it means those entries are duplicates—this visual cue helps you quickly spot and avoid accidental double entries.

📌 Things to Keep in Mind

• Only edit the bordered cells — shaded areas and formulas update automatically. See more about which cells to edit here →

• Customize your dropdowns (like subcategories or payment methods) to match your life — see how.

• Double-check that your subcategory has a corresponding category so that your data charts and insights are calculated correctly.

• You can safely clear entries in bulk from the bordered sections when you're ready for a reset. See how.

Looking to enter an expense instead? Check out this guide.

How to Log Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories  >  Tracking Income + Expenses  >  How to Log Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Log Expenses in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Tracking your expenses is one of the most powerful habits for gaining control over your finances — and your Finance Planner for Creatives makes it easy to do just that.

Whether it’s a personal purchase or a business investment, each logged expense keeps your charts, summaries, and tax tools accurate and insightful.

Sections

• Required Fields

• Optional Fields

• Additional Fields for Business Expenses

• Easily Duplicate Entries in the Expense Log

• Things to Keep in Mind

✅ Required Fields

These fields are essential for every expense entry — both personal and business:

• Subcategory
  Choose the type of expense (e.g., Software, Utilities, Dining Out).

  💡 Tip: The matching Category will auto-populate based on your dropdown setup.

• Price
  Enter the amount you spent.

• Date
  Use the actual date of the expense — this powers your calendar view and summaries.

✨ Optional Fields (Both Personal & Business)

These fields help you add context or extra tracking details:

• Item (short description)
  A quick label like “Canva Pro Subscription” or “Weekly Groceries.”

• Retailer / Seller
  Who you purchased from — Amazon, Target, Staples, etc.

• Payment Method
  How you paid — Chase Credit Card, PayPal, Cash, etc.

• Notes / Description
  Any extra details you want to remember — what the purchase was for, whether it was shared, calculations if only partially tax-deductible, etc.

🧾 Additional Fields for Business Expenses

If you're logging a business expense, these extra fields can help you track what's reimbursable or deductible:

• Billable to Client
  Was this expense related to a client project? Select Yes if you plan to invoice for it.

• Billed
  Once you've added the expense to a client invoice, select Yes here to keep track.

• Receipt (Image or Link)
  Paste a link to a cloud-stored image, file, or PDF of the receipt. This helps with bookkeeping and tax documentation.

🔁 How to Easily Duplicate Entries in the Expense Log

Have recurring personal or business expenses? Instead of re-entering all the details every time, here’s how to quickly duplicate a past entry:

1. Filter by Subcategory or Other Relevant Metric (Optional):
   Use the dropdown filters to narrow your view to a specific expense subcategory—like “Groceries” or “Subscription”—so you can quickly find the entry you want to copy. See more here on filtering tables  →

2. Find the Entry You Want to Duplicate:
   Scroll to the row that has the details you want to reuse (item, subcategory, description, amount, etc.).

3. Copy and Paste to a New Row:

   • Select the bordered cells in the row you want to copy (avoid the shaded cells)

   • Use Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac) to copy.

   • Scroll to the next empty row at the bottom of the log.

   • Select the first cell of that row in the table and paste with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V.

   • Repeat these steps for the cells on the other side of the shaded column.

4. Update the Details:
   Don’t forget to update the date, description, amount, or any other fields that might change. (This is especially helpful for monthly software subscriptions and other regular purchases)

✨ Pro Tip: If you see a yellow row (or two), it means those entries are duplicates—this visual cue helps you quickly spot and avoid accidental double entries.

📌 Things to Keep in Mind

• Only edit the bordered cells — shaded areas and formulas update automatically. See more about which cells to edit here →

• Customize your dropdowns (like retailers or payment methods) to match your life — see how.

• Double-check that your subcategory has a corresponding category so that your data charts and insights are calculated correctly.

• You can safely clear entries in bulk from the bordered sections when you're ready for a reset. See how.

Looking to enter income instead? Check out this guide.

Using the Yearly Calendars in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories  >  Tracking Income + Expenses  > Using the Yearly Calendars in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Using the Yearly Calendars in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Each income and expense sheet in the Finance Planner for Creatives includes a built-in yearly calendar designed to help you visualize and better understand your financial patterns over time.

The calendars automatically populate as you enter information into the itemized income and expense tables on each sheet.

Here’s what these calendars offer:

✅ Spot Financial Trends at a Glance

The calendar layout makes it easy to identify:

• High- or low-income and high- or low-expense days and months

• Seasonal patterns or irregular spikes

• Consistency (or lack of) in your financial habits

📊 Cumulative Totals

Each calendar shows a running total of your income or expenses as the year progresses.

• These cumulative totals help you see how much you’ve brought in or spent over time—not just per month, but year-to-date.

📈 Monthly + Yearly Totals

• Monthly Totals: Show how much you earned or spent each month.

• Average Monthly Totals: One shows the average of all months that have recorded data, skipping months with no entries. The other shows a monthly average that includes blank months, which can help you compare actual activity against a full 12-month period—even if some months were inactive.

• Yearly Total: Adds up all months for a complete snapshot of your total income or expenses for the year.

This built-in overview gives you quick insight into your financial momentum—and helps you spot when you’re ahead (or behind) your goals, all in one glance.

How the Finance Planner for Creatives is Structured

All Categories > Getting Started > How the Finance Planner for Creatives is Structured

How the Finance Planner for Creatives is Structured

This Finance Planner for Creatives was designed to help you manage your income, expenses, and financial goals with clarity and ease—without the overwhelm of complicated apps, and to give you unique insights and charts based on your financial situation. Here's a breakdown of how the key sections are organized and how they work together.

Sections

1. Start Here

2. Income + Expense Sheets

3. Planned Budget Sheet

4. Summaries + Insights

5. Tax Sheets

6. Goals Sheet

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Start Here

This is your welcome page with setup instructions, quick tips, and helpful links. Start by making a copy of the planner and renaming it for your records (e.g. “Finance Planner – Original”).

See more on Getting Started here →

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Income + Expense Sheets

These four sheets are the core of your financial tracking—designed to separate and organize your finances for better clarity and planning:

Income Sheets

• Taxable Income: Track earnings that you'll report on your taxes—like freelance projects, client payments, or your day job.

• Non-Taxable Income: Log income that isn’t subject to tax, such as gifts, reimbursements, or certain grants.

Expense Sheets

• Business Expenses: Record any business-related purchases—from software subscriptions to supplies—to help with budgeting and tax prep.

• Personal Expenses: Track your everyday personal spending to get a clear picture of where your money goes.

Each sheet includes:

• A customizable dropdown section where you can tailor your categories, subcategories, retailers, and payment methods to match your real-life habits.

• An itemized log section to document each transaction.

• A yearly calendar view to see your finances month-by-month and spot trends at a glance.

See more on Income and Expense Sheets here →

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🧮 Planned Budget Sheet

This sheet helps you map out your finances ahead of time so you can make more intentional decisions about your spending and earning.

It’s organized into four sections to align with your actual financial tracking:

• Planned Taxable Income – Estimate how much you expect to earn from freelance projects, your job, or other taxable sources.

• Planned Non-Taxable Income – Plan for things like gifts, reimbursements, or other income that isn’t taxed.

• Planned Business Expenses – Set monthly budgets for different business-related categories, such as software, marketing, or supplies.

• Planned Personal Expenses – Estimate what you’ll spend on personal needs, from groceries to entertainment.

Each section includes:

• A line for each category, where you can input what you expect to earn or spend each month.

• Automatic totals by category and by month, giving you a clear view of your planned cash flow.

Use this sheet to plan for the year, track patterns, and stay in control of your financial goals.

See more on the Planned Budget Sheet here →

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📊 Summaries + Insights

These auto-populated sheets do the heavy lifting for you.

• Monthly Summaries: Show comparisons for income vs. expenses and planned vs. actual per month, with charts to visualize your cash flow.

• Yearly Overview: Get a full visual snapshot of your year at a glance.

These sheets update automatically based on what you enter in the Planned Budget, Income, and Expense sheets.

See more on Summaries here →

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💸 Tax Sheets

These sheets are designed to help you stay organized and proactive about your taxes—without needing to be a tax expert.

📊 Profit & Loss Report

This sheet automatically pulls data from your Income and Business Expense logs to show:

• Your total taxable income and total business expenses

• A breakdown of income and expenses by subcategory

• Your net profit (income minus expenses)—helpful for tax reporting and tracking how your business is doing financially

This report is especially useful when you're preparing your taxes or applying for things like loans or grants.

📅 Taxes Sheet

This is your central hub for estimating and tracking tax-related activity:

• Estimate your quarterly taxes based on your actual income and expenses

• See how much you need to save each month and quarter to stay on track

• Track your tax savings: Document how much you’ve set aside each month

• Record your federal and state tax dues and payments to keep everything in one place

These tools are especially helpful for freelancers and small business owners who want to avoid surprises and feel more in control during tax season.

See more on Tax Sheets here →

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🎯 Goals Sheet

This section helps you set, track, and reflect on your financial goals—both short-term and long-term.

• Current Goals: Define specific targets for each quarter (like savings or income goals) and see how your charts and insights update as you add data.

• Top Goals: Record your big-picture 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year goals. These aren’t linked to calculations, but help you stay focused on your bigger vision.

• Goal Prompts: Use these reflective prompts to spark ideas and clarify your priorities. Add custom responses and action steps to help you move forward.

This sheet is here to help you stay intentional with your finances and align your daily decisions with your long-term vision.

See more on the Goals Sheet here →

How to Start Using the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Getting Started > How to Start Using the Finance Planner for Creatives

This Finance Planner for Creatives was built in Google Sheets so you can track your finances with clarity and ease — no extra apps or logins needed. But before you dive in, you might be wondering how to edit the finance planner. First, you need to make sure you're working from your own copy.

Make a Copy

Before you can start editing, you’ll need to make your own copy of the planner in Google Sheets:

1. Click File in the top-left menu

2. Select “Make a copy”

3. Choose a location to save it in your Google Drive

4. Rename your copy so it’s easy to keep track

Naming Tips

• Add the year to the name (e.g. “Finance Planner 2025” if you like your files organized by name or “2025 Finance Planner” if you like them organized by date/year)

• Consider saving an untouched original by naming it something like “Finance Planner – Original”

• Use a second copy for experimenting or customizing before committing to real data

💡 This way, you always have a clean reference version, and you can easily find your current year’s planner.

That’s it — you’re ready to get started with your own version of the Finance Planner for Creatives!

What You Can and Shouldn't Modify in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Getting Started > What You Can and Shouldn't Modify in the Finance Planner for Creatives

What You Can and Shouldn't Modify in the Finance Planner for Creatives

To keep your Finance Planner for Creatives working properly, it’s important to only make changes where intended. Here’s how to know which cells are safe to edit:

✅ What You Should Edit

Only edit:

• Cells with visible borders: These are designed for your input (like logging income, expenses, goals, etc.). You will see an example of what the editable cells should look like on each sheet, or see instructions on where to edit.

• Dropdown Option Sections: These are located on the Income and Expense sheets (starting at cell A50). Here, you can customize options for:

  • Categories

  • Subcategories

  • Retailers

  • Payment Methods

These fields are meant to reflect your unique financial situation—feel free to personalize them!

🚫 What You Shouldn’t Edit

Do not edit:

• Cells without borders: These contain built-in formulas and information that power your charts, summaries, and automations. Editing or deleting them may break important calculations. The dropdown options are an exception to this rule.

• Shaded cells or auto-filled fields: These are populated automatically based on your entries and should be left alone.

• Any sheets or sections marked with warnings: These reminders help protect the structure of the planner.

🧠 Tip: If You See a Warning…

A popup or message will appear if you try to modify something that shouldn’t be changed. These are here to protect formulas and help keep everything running smoothly.

There are special cases where you can ignore those warnings. See here to learn more →

How to Clear Data Safely in the Finance Planner for Creatives

All Categories > Getting Started > How to Clear Data Safely in the Finance Planner for Creatives

How to Clear Data Safely in the Finance Planner for Creatives

Ready to reset your Finance Planner for Creatives, reuse it for a new year, or remove test info? While you have access to both a clean version and one with sample info, knowing how to clear data from the sample version is a great way to get familiar with the planner and learn how to use it efficiently. (Just make sure you’ve saved an untouched copy before making any changes!) Here's how to safely wipe your data without disrupting any formulas or formatting.

✅ What You Can Clear

You can safely clear entire sections of the planner by selecting groups of bordered cells — no need to delete entries one cell at a time!

Look for areas with bordered cells on the following sheets:

• 💰 Income & Expense Logs
  Select large blocks of entries in the itemized tables. You can drag-select multiple rows with bordered cells and hit Delete. Just be sure to leave shaded columns (with formulas) untouched.

• 📊 Planned Budget Sheet
  You can drag-select the entire input area for each section and hit Delete.

• 🧮 Tax and Goals Sheets
  Groups of bordered cells can be safely cleared by drag-selecting and hitting Delete.

⚠️ Watch Out

• Don’t delete entire rows or columns. Even if a cell looks blank, it may have a formula, so be sure to stick to only the bordered cells.

• Don’t clear shaded cells — these contain formulas that power charts and summaries.

• If you see a warning popup, that means you're trying to edit a protected area.
  Just hit Cancel, reselect only the bordered cells, and try again.
  There are special cases where warnings can be ignored. Learn more here →

💡 Pro Tip

Want to start a new year or keep a backup?
Make a duplicate of the planner and rename it with the year (e.g. Finance Planner – 2024 Archive) before clearing anything!